Keren Shlomo Trust

Keren Shlomo Trust, a UK-registered charity (number 1009878) established on 18 March 1992, is dedicated to advancing the Orthodox Jewish faith, with a primary focus on promoting Hassidic scholarship through study grants and bursaries for mature students at the Keren Shlomo Institute, an advanced Jewish learning center. Its founding mission emphasizes strengthening religious learning and welfare within the Orthodox Jewish community, guided by core values of religious uplift, educational continuity, and public benefit aligned with Charity Commission standards. The trust's distinctive, traditional philanthropic approach prioritizes direct support for individual scholars over broad initiatives, sustaining adult religious education without public advertising or competitive processes.

It funds bursaries and study awards almost exclusively for mature Orthodox Jewish students and lecturers pursuing in-depth Hassidic and Orthodox studies at the Keren Shlomo Institute, with minimal grants to UK-based Orthodox Jewish educational or welfare institutions for revenue-based activities. Beneficiaries are typically from the Hassidic community, targeting formal religious learning rather than research, capital projects, or poverty relief; in 2024, it awarded £230,550 to individuals and £2,500 to institutions.

Eligible entities are strictly UK-registered charities serving Orthodox Jews, with a geographic focus on the UK—particularly North London boroughs like Hackney and Haringey—preferring small to medium-sized, community-connected organizations. It does not accept unsolicited applications; all grants are at trustees' discretion via internal processes, with no deadlines, forms, or open calls, and meetings on an ad hoc basis.

Exclusions include capital funding, emergency aid, unrestricted support, and non-Orthodox Jewish causes. Uniquely niche, the trust differentiates through its tight alignment with the Keren Shlomo Institute and exclusive emphasis on individual adult bursaries, making it ideal for aligned Orthodox educational beneficiaries but inaccessible to outsiders.